The present disclosure relates generally to a rocket propelled payload with a divert control system contained within the nose cone.
Rocket propelled payloads are used in various aerodynamic applications and may refer to kinetic weapons (or kinetic vehicles), non-weaponized vehicles or satellites. Kinetic weapons, in particular, are devices that are propelled at high speeds in order to intercept other devices in-flight. Upon impact, the kinetic weapon damages the target or at least diverts the target from its flight path.
The overall structure of a rocket propelled payload includes a nose cone and a fuselage. The nose cone contains the payload and the fuselage contains booster stages that burn solid rocket fuel in stages. Exhaust from the combustion of the solid rocket fuel is ejected out of the rear of the active booster stage to provide for propulsion in the forward direction. In addition, exhaust may be ejected out of lateral propulsion elements arrayed along the sides of the booster stages to provide for attitude control or a booster attitude control system (ACS).
Due to the containment of the solid rocket fuel in the fuselage in the conventional configuration, booster ACS is often required to be relatively large and have several redundant or duplicative elements. Moreover, since the solid rocket fuel has a relatively low impulse capability paired with the fact that the propulsion elements are proximate to a center of mass of the rocket, a relatively large amount of solid rocket fuel may be needed, which leads to an increase in overall weight. In addition, since the propulsion elements are arrayed along the sides of the booster stages, nozzles associated with the propulsion elements are not often optimized while the slew angles of the propulsion elements are limited by the aerodynamic requirements of the overall unit.